Civic Clubs Struggle to Survive in Internet Era

Nationwide, civic clubs are watching their membership numbers dwindle as their members age. Rotary, Civitan and Lions and more clubs are all feeling the strain. Once bastions of charity and action in their respective communities, they now struggle to recruit new members and retain old ones. I have put a lot of time and energy into revitalizing my college's chapter of Campus Civitan, which is a college branch of the Civitan Club. The Atlanta Civitan Club invited me to attend its social hour and dinner for the installation of new officers. I went, and got a first-hand look at what these clubs are up against.

In the past, recent college graduates joined civic clubs not only to serve their communities but also to network. Club meetings were social events that provided the opportunity to connect with other well-educated, socially-minded professionals. Leaders of the civic clubs were often among the leaders of the professional community as well, so those connections were key.

Nowadays, the Internet makes it possible to do most of your networking virtually. Young professionals can post resumes online and join networking sites geared specifically towards their field. As the Internet contributes to decreasing membership in civic clubs, the effect grows. As less people join civic clubs, the clubs become less effective networking tools, which causes even fewer people to join. Existing members start retiring as the years pass, and without sufficient numbers of younger members, the clubs are no longer networks of professional leaders.

At the meeting I attended, I was by far the youngest person in attendance. The club members that I met had immensely interesting stories to share about their careers and experiences. Yet, when I attempted to exchange business cards with a man I sat next to at dinner, he chuckled and told me I was 25 years too late. Almost everyone at the meeting was retired, and he admitted that membership was less than one fifth of its levels in the 1970s.